Introducing 1band 1brand

It's no secret that here at Daily Grommet, we like discovering and sharing unique gift ideas, innovative people and creative ideas. So, when we heard about 138 Music & Entertainment and the 1band 1brand platform at SXSW, we knew we wanted to share it with you. We had the pleasure of speaking with Brady Sadler, a founding partner of 1band 1brand and asked him a few questions... enjoy:

Hi Brady, can you tell us a little about 1band 1brand?

Sure! 1band 1brand is a free, subscription-based digital platform that introduces one emerging band along side one independent fashion label on a weekly basis. Each band offers a collection of songs for a name-your-own-price download and each brand provides an exclusive discount for seven days only.

Since we are all about the story behind the idea, we'd love to know what was the inspiration for this company?

Our team is made up of sales, marketing and strategy resources from ad agencies, consumer brands and technology companies. We’re all interested in new music and shopping for cool clothes, but we don't always have the time to search for it online. These days there are more independent artists and fashion designers than ever before in history. Anyone can put out an album or set up a storefront on the Web and that makes for a cluttered environment.

We figured there were a lot of people in the same boat, so we launched 1band 1brand to help cut through the clutter and make it easier to discover great music and fashion.

The music industry has been changing ever since Napster came on the scene. How does this impact your site?

Linda Perry at BUZZBANDS LA / 1band 1brand Showcase

Music and fashion have always gone hand in hand, but now the two industries are collaborating much more closely. In the past, a brand would typically wait until a band had a hit on the radio, but that’s all changed.

Now if a band has twenty thousand followers on Twitter or ‘Likes’ on Facebook, they have direct access to a loyal audience. That’s appealing to brands and they are eager to form strategic partnerships.

How do you find these great new bands and brands?

That’s a secret! Actually, we spend the time researching bands and brands so our subscribers don’t have to and we have months worth of cool features already lined up.

Now that the site is live we’re also getting a number of emails from bands, brands and users with suggestions.

Networking is important as well. Just like in any industry, once you make a few key connections, you’re never more than one or two degrees away from someone else you might want to work with. This year, SXSW introduced a fashion component for the first time ever, so we traveled to Austin for our official launch and had a chance to interact with a lot of interesting bands and brands.

What’s next for 1band 1brand?

First and foremost, we want to continue building the community by signing up as many new people as we can and delivering the best bands and brands that are out there.

We’re also beginning to facilitate band and brand collaborations that will result in exclusive products, live events and more. A number of retailers and publishers have expressed interest partnering as well, so we’ll continue to explore new and different ways to deliver this content.

It’s an exciting time to be working in these industries because everyone is being forced to think beyond the traditional sales channels. We’re excited about the role we can play given the diverse background of our team and our experience creating unique strategic partnerships.